With the WCAL boys soccer race heating up and teams vying for crucial CCS playoff points, the Serra Padres put on a convincing performance at home on Wednesday to knock off St. Ignatius, 2-0. Junior striker Nick Schnabel scored goals in the sixth and 65th minute to lead the Padre attack while junior goalkeeper Logan Wolf posted his fifth shutout of the season.
The victory lifted the Padres (11-6-1, 6-5-1 WCAL, 13 points) into a fourth-place tie with the Wildcats (9-5-3, 5-4-3, 13).
Serra opened play with a tenancious defensive work rate and never let Wildcat captain and central playmaker Andrew Corwin settle into a rhythm on the attack. Padre midfielder Robert Peardon and Antoine Martel orchestrated several strong possession stints with several consecutive passes leading to a shot on goal.
Just after the five-minute mark, Martel broke through traffic 30 yards from goal by beating two defenders and then finding Peardon 10 yards to his left. Peardon used two touches and hit senior winger Lee Vella on a through ball on the left flank where Vella raced toward the endline around the Wildcat defense. Vella's cross came back across the goal mouth, beat SI goalkeeper Carl Otto by a fingertip, and landed at the feet of Schnabel who tapped in the goal for a 1-0 Padre lead.
The Padres first half attack generated five more quality shots on goal, including Schnabel's 25th minute laser that rung off the crossbar back into play before being cleared by the Wildcat defense. After the halftime break, St Ignatius regrouped and began to find success with balls over the top to senior forward Dennis Shanager who twice had shots that beat Wolf before being cleared off the goal line by Padre defenders.
In the 65th minute, senior Erik Landaverde collected a loose ball at midfield and turned toward the SI goal. Landaverde's 20-yard pass on the ground found a streaking Schnabel, who out-ran Wildcat left back Phillip Otto and then beat his twin brother Carl in goal on the dribble to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, Padre midfielder Vince Venezia nearly made it a three-goal lead as his wide open shot on the right wing caromed off the post missing the goal by inches.
Serra and St. Ignatius are now tied for fourth place in the WCAL standings with two matches to play, trailing second-place Bellarmine and St Francis by only two points. Up next for Serra will be a trip down to San Jose to face Bellarmine on Saturday while the Wildcats host league champs Archbishop Mitty. Both matches kick off at 11 am with seeding places in the upcoming WCAL tournament still very much up for grabs.
